We do this because we no the value of having our own business.
Sometimes, and I know I am guilty of this at time, we don’t take enough time to work on our selves.
Remember this… the most valuable asset you have is YOU. You have to make time for yourself. Time to relax, time to enjoy your friends and family and time to make improvements in different facets of your life.
Personal development seems to get a bad rap from business owners. We think, “I don’t have time to read books or take courses” or “All of my time is better spent working on the business”.
While I understand and agree that you have to be focused on your business, some of the biggest breakthroughs for my business came from my personal development.
As an entrepreneur continuing self development gives you a competitive edge over your peers.
So what can we do to work on our personal development? Here are 11 tips to building a better you.
11 Personal Development Tips
1. Always learn.
If you stop learning then you will never have lasting success. The business landscape is ever-evolving. No matter what industry or market you are in. Especially if your business is online or you rely on social media for lead generation.
Reading, in my opinion, is still the most important method of continuing learning.
You should be reading regularly and often. I set a goal for myself to read at least 10 pages a day for personal development. If you do that, you’re going to read at least 1 book per month.
Here are some of my favorite personal development books.
The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
Not a big reader? Listen to books on audio. Audible is a great option that has most of the books available in the personal development space.
There are plenty of other options for learning as well.
Podcasts are hot right now. Like audio books, you can listen in the car or when you’re working out. Here are some of my favorites.
Social Media Marketing Podcast
Webinars, seminars, videos, and online courses are also great options for learning.
I love webinar courses. Especially interactive courses that require homework.
Whichever way you choose to continue your learning, make it a habit. You’ll be shocked at how much it does for your business.
2. Identify Leaders to Follow.
The leaders in your industry are leaders for a reason. They have found a way to have success.
Who are the top leaders in your industry or niche? Find those leaders and follow them!
Learn what they have done to be successful. What is their daily process for their business? What tools are they using? What vendors do they do business with? What’s their social media presence like?
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Leaders are often very open to helping others find success.
Reach out and build relationships with those leaders. They are your best resource for success.
You are sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. - Jim Rohn Click To Tweet
3. Surround Yourself with Like Minds
Nothing will stunt your development as a business owner and a person more than hanging around the wrong people.
You know who they are. Sometimes they are the people you care about deeply. Long time friends or even family members.
They only have negativity when it comes to your dreams and your vision for your business and for who you want to be.
When you have like minds around you, it can fuel your success. Especially if they have already achieved the kind of success that you are looking for.
You want to find others who have walked or are walking the same path as you. If you do that, your journey will be will be more fun and more fulfilling.
4. Expand Your Network
Now that you’ve followed the top leaders in your industry, look at how you might break in to their network. Who are they following? Who are they friends with?
Look at your personal network. Who are you friends with that might be able to connect you to someone that can impact your business. Nurturing these relationships can lead to incredible things for your business.
You never know who your mechanic, hairdresser or dog groomer are connected to. Pay attention! Have meaningful conversations. It’s amazing what you can learn with a conversation or two.
Another way to expand your network is to participate in networking events. Check out your local chamber of commerce. It’s often very affordable to join and often gets you listed on their website.
5. Set specific goals
The biggest issue with setting goals is that people aren’t specific enough. They might say, “I want to make more money.” or “I want to have more time freedom.”
These are great things to want, don’t get me wrong. However, they are way too vague. Goals need to be specific and measurable.
How much more money, EXACTLY, do you want? For example, “My business will earn $500,000 in revenue in 2022.” Or, “My course will do $10,000 monthly sales.”
How much more time, EXACTLY, do you want? For example, “I will have time to go to all of my kids sports activities in 2022.” Or, “I will take 4 vacations in 2022.”
The point is that you have to be VERY specific when laying out our goals. You have to see what you want as clear as if you already had it.
That will give you powerful and attainable goals.
6. Find a Mentor
Having a mentor is a game changer for your personal development.
Of course you have to pick the right mentor for you. Be very selective about who you choose as a mentor. Be sure they are being honest about their abilities as a mentor. Get to know this person before going all in on following their lead.
Look for someone who has achieved the kind of success that you desire. And someone who can help bring out the best version of you. Both personally and professionally.
They don’t have to be in the same industry or market. Although that can help, it’s certainly not necessary. You’re looking to learn the fundamentals that translate to success in your business.
Focus on what you want and if you believe that person can ultimately help you get it.
7. Schedule your time
Your schedule is so critical to your success. There’s nothing more frustrating than working with people that can’t manage their time.
My college football coach used to say, “If you’re not 5 minutes early, you’re late”. And being late for this specific coach, guaranteed some cruel and unusual punishment like 400 yard of bear crawls or a couple hundred yard of up-downs.
With that said, things do happen. But if you are habitually late then you have a problem. My time is valuable to me and hopefully to my clients as well.
I make a point to be very respectful of other people’s time. In return, I expect others to respect my time. If you are late for a meeting, and don’t call ahead that you are running late, that is disrespectful. Just
You need to block your time each day. I sit down each week on Sunday and set my calendar for the week. I start by looking at where any of my appointments have been scheduled for the week. (I only have certain hours each day that I leave available for appointments.) Then I start blocking my time based on the projects I am working on and how urgent they are.
As a business owner, you know there are only a finite number of hours available. There are so many things that can distract with social media being the biggest culprit.
Use your phone or buy a planner but make sure you are assigning specific times to your daily tasks and blocking time for your work.
8. Be consistent
Consistency will make a huge impact on your business. You rarely make strides in giant leaps.
Most times, especially in business, it takes consistent daily action to reach your goals. Most times we already know the action or actions we need to take to make our businesses successful.
But are you willing to put in the consistent, daily, and usually boring actions that need to be done for success.
Take consistent action and you will find success.
Do the thing and you will have the power. - Ralph Waldo Emerson Click To Tweet
9. Meditate
Some of you may be rolling your eyes on meditation. But have you tried it?
Meditation can be very impactful on your health and well-being. It can help you improve your focus, reduce stress and manage anxiety.
You don’t need to sit on the floor with your legs crossed and hold your hands up while humming. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. You do you.
Just find a comfortable chair. Focus on your breathing for 10 minutes and let go of all those thoughts that bind you up all day long.
If you would like some direction with your meditation, try out Headspace.
10. Show Gratitude
Too few of us are truly grateful for the things that we have. Or, for the people in our lives.
Showing gratitude for our family, friends and those we do business with will have an impact on your well-being and your business.
I am a firm believer of what you put out into the world is what comes back to you. If you put gratitude out there it will come back. As a business owner, in many cases, it comes back in the form of opportunities.
11. Exercise
Exercise not only keeps you physically healthy but it improves your brain function. Many studies have been done showing how exercise positively affects cognitive function.
Getting your body moving can increase your energy and boost your productivity. You’ll get more done and build confidence along the way.
You can also reduce stress with exercise. As business owners, we are ALWAYS under a certain amount of pressure. And we’re always feeling at least a little stress (sometimes A LOT) about aspects of our business.
Make time to get 30 minutes of exercise every day. You don’t have to go crazy. Even a walk or light resistance training program can have a hube impact on your health… and your business.
I hope you found value with today’s post.
If you did, please leave a comment and share with your fellow digital marketers.
To Your Success!
Steve Stark
steve@starkwebdesign.com
262-378-0234
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